Matfield bats for Baa-Baas
28 Nov 2011
Victor Matfield says talk about scrapping the Barbarians is premature.
The famous club took a 60-11 beating against Australia at Twickenham on Saturday, again stirring questions about their place in the modern game. The ‘Baa-Baas’ beat New Zealand in 2009 and South Africa in 2010, and Matfield pointed to those as reason enough to persist with the tradition.
‘When you come up for the Barbarians you don’t have a lot of training, so some days you click, other days you struggle a bit,’ he said. ‘Maybe the communication wasn’t there, there were one or two slipped tackles and then the other side get momentum and it’s hard to stop.
‘Australia are a full international side and they know each other pretty well. The Barbarians have won two out of three now in the last three years against the southern hemisphere teams so why shoot them down after one bad game? I think it’s a fantastic idea and we need this in rugby. It’s the only time we really get to know the other top players.’
Barbarians assistant coach Steve Hansen echoed the lock’s thoughts. ‘Having coached a side (New Zealand) that’s played the Barbarians and actually lost to them, after four Test matches in four weeks and then having a fifth game, it’s a lot different,’ Hansen explained. ‘I agree with Victor. The Barbarians concept is magnificent for rugby and we should hang on to it for as long as we can.’
23 Comments
28 Nov 2011, 07:53 am
Scrap Sourpuss Henry and Steve Fatsen from all future Barbarians matches
They are not worthy DRAGONS!
28 Nov 2011, 07:53 am
Vic the Dragon is now a has-been…
just joking….
28 Nov 2011, 07:57 am
@Staal(Staal)-2: All talk
28 Nov 2011, 08:03 am
@Big Hit(Big Hit)-1: not their fault there was a shortage of dwarves around..
perhaps the plans were “leaked”.
maybe it was all the poached players in the
englishbaabaas side…or it must have been Rob Andrews fault surely..
28 Nov 2011, 08:03 am
Vin the Pappegaai rekbek….
Vok this oke should becoome a commentator…..he is as bad as rent a quote ollie
28 Nov 2011, 08:04 am
vin is vic
28 Nov 2011, 09:13 am
Tours are the way to go.
To take a 2 week holiday to watch your team play 4/5 times is spectacular for a fan. To take 2 weeks for 2 games only is quite an ask.
If SA tourned NZ or AUS for an old school 3 test 6 midweek series, I would be there for 2-3 weeks without blinking, but to go watch a 2 week tri nations – boring!
28 Nov 2011, 09:19 am
@BULLET(BULLET)-7: agreed
28 Nov 2011, 09:39 am
The babas has just become one long pissup.
These guys drink themselves mal for a week, exhaust the sheilas at every ttiy-bar in a 50 mile radius and then expect to play rugby against top international teams.
sorry for you.
28 Nov 2011, 09:57 am
Years back it was only the British and Irish players that got selected for a Baa-Baas game. The BIL were called Barbarians on home soil.
I think they need to think about getting back to what the Baa-Baas game was meant for. Only select from the 4 home unions. That way there is far more passion coming from the Baa-Baas players they would be far more motivated and play as a team. The game would be taken serious. Makes for a far more exciting game for both sides and for both sides supporters. We would see full stadiums again.
Now they select players from about 8 to 10 different countries. None take it really serious and there is just no passion really coming from the players to really want to win it. Get back to what it was meant for and the passion will be back and probably will be the highlight of any team that tours nh.
To play BIL (Barbarians) on their home turf will be awesome, like it used to be.
If they keep selecting players from around the world it is a nothing game, means zip. Then scrap it.
28 Nov 2011, 10:09 am
@BULLET(BULLET)-7: Agree. Tours are the way to go.
For now it is coming back in a small way. England come here for 3 tests next year. Though it comes in a bad time during the S15. Should rethink the schedule of the S15. Would have liked us to have completed the S15 before we had the tour of England here.
28 Nov 2011, 10:25 am
@Puma(Puma)-10:
I too would like to see the Barbarians focus their selections on the so called 4 Home Unions.
With perhaps the odd SH, French, Romanian, Canadian….etc.
To field a Team of the best British and Irish players, immediately following the RWC would have been fantastic.
28 Nov 2011, 10:50 am
The Baa-Baas side is only going to be as good as it’s players. The selectors need to pick a decent side if they don’t want to get embarrassed by the opposition. I mean Cipriani starting at 10? If that’s the type of quality they’re talking about then obviously they’ll continue to get their assess whipped.
28 Nov 2011, 11:08 am
@Gunther(gunther)-9: bear in mind the Barbarians beat the Springboks last year and the All Blacks the year before, Henry and Fatsen treated it like a holiday and (most of) the players followed suit
@cane(cane)-12: I like the hemispheric mix, what would be great is if a test XV team of the year were selected for the barbarians which would make it truly prestigious
28 Nov 2011, 11:19 am
big difference is timing of the game imo.
Aussies used game to sharp up for Wales…
If Baba s game last game they stand a chance
If not they in trouble
28 Nov 2011, 11:21 am
@cane(cane)-12: Agree would have been awesome.
The way to go Cane, need to only select from the 4 home unions. The passion would return to the Baa Baas side. Stadium would be filled again.
28 Nov 2011, 14:25 pm
@Big Hit(Big Hit)-1:
They have done what they needed to do this year.
@Big Hit(Big Hit)-14:
Hmmm i dont hink they treated it as a pissup but you being a pom i am sure you would know.
28 Nov 2011, 15:59 pm
@Puma(Puma)-10: You keep confusing the BI Lions with BaaBaas… Two very different teams each with a different ethos.
1. Barbarian FC is a Club
2. Started with the specific aims of being “absolutely cosmopolitan and spreading good-fellowship amongst all rugby football players ”
3. Of the 2,800 or so members – rugby men from the world over of diverse nationalities and types – all are judged to have been worthy of upholding the Barbarian motto instituted by the Right Reverend W.J. Carey (former Bishop of Bloemfontein and an original member) which is: “Rugby Football is a game for gentlemen in all classes, but for no bad sportsman in any class”. (Quote from the site)
4. In 1930 a new badge was designed by Ian Stuart (an Irish International and Barbarian) embodying the composition of the Club. This consisted of two shields, one with the Rose, Thistle, Shamrock and Prince of Wales’ Feathers, emblems of the Home Countries, and the other the Fern of New Zealand, Springbok of South Africa, and the Waratah of New South Wales (since, at that time, there was no Australian Rugby Union), the shields being surmounted by two lambs, jumping from one shield to the other in pursuit of a rugby ball.
So NO… The BaaBaas were NEVER “The BIL were called Barbarians on home soil.”
28 Nov 2011, 16:06 pm
@grant10(grant10)-15: Yes.
28 Nov 2011, 16:08 pm
@cane(cane)-12: You talk absolute bollocks. Not surprising as an ignorant AB supporter… Like the 3 mo.nkeys: “Hear no evil, speak no evil, say no evil”.
Ignorant in the extreme
28 Nov 2011, 16:10 pm
@Puma(Puma)-16: There is enough passion for the BaaBaas thank you… The last match was a disgrace though, thanks to Enry and his ex-Mr Plod deputy along with the dopey Kiwis who deigned to play…
28 Nov 2011, 16:12 pm
@Gunther(gunther)-9: Yes they do all of that… But they also do play good rugby except for this years disgraceful disappointment… They also have been the only team on British soil to scalp BOTH the Boks and the ABs over the last 3 years.
28 Nov 2011, 22:54 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-20:
What are you on about?
I cant see anything inCanes post for you to get your panties in a twist.
All you are is a bitter twisted South African that hides behind his keyboard and abuse people. Coward i say.
Have your say
You must be logged in to post a comment.